The design of the new statement drove our new requirements for a document composition system. The new statement uses graphics as well as one-to-one marketing messages and we found that there were just a couple of companies who could deliver all our requirements and run in a high-volume production environment.
— Terry Guill
Schroeder Publishing
Featured White Paper
Getting Smart About Intelligent Mail®
Provides insight into the 2009 USPS® Intelligent Mail Barcode requirements and how you can leverage and optimize the new intelligence across your mailstream.
MailStream Plus™ Features and Benefits
Achieve Every Postal Discount Available
MailStream Plus™ organizes your CASS-certified™ mail files to earn you the maximum postal discounts, from basic to enhanced carrier route levels. MailStream Plus™ supports all United States Postal Service (USPS®) mail classes including First-Class, Periodicals, Standard and Package Services. And every mail type, including letters, postcards (single and double), flats, parcels (First-Class, machinable and irregular) and bound printed matter.
PAVE Gold-Certified
MailStream Plus™ is PAVE Gold-certified by the USPS® in every required presort category. The USPS® Presort Accuracy, Validation, and Evaluation (PAVE) program is a process designed in cooperation with the mailing industry to evaluate presort software and determine its accuracy in sorting address files according to Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) standards. As a gold-certified solution, MailStream Plus™ has successfully completed all electronic and paper-hardcopy requirements.
Palletization Discounts
MailStream Plus™ enables you to palletize mail at all allowable USPS® levels. This add-on option tracks and reports your multiple piece-weight mailings and provides the documentation necessary to comply with the USPS® Manifest Mailing System. This module lets you adjust the weight, height or volume settings for each level and lets you easily shut off optional pallet levels.
Manifest Reporting
This optional reporting module provides an efficient way to prepare and pay for non-identical piece-weight mailings, such as billing statements. Manifest Reporting Plus provides the required manifest keyline and reports for First-Class and Standard Mail letters, flats and parcels. The software is Manifest Analysis and Certification (MAC) Batch-certified by the USPS® in every available category and supports the USPS® requirements for itemized, fixed batch and floating batch reports.
Simplified Bag & Tray Discounts
The Barcode Bag & Tray Option™ makes it easy for you to generate the labels needed to qualify for postal automation discounts. This option meets all USPS® requirements for automation incentive rates on both bag and tray mail and is compatible with a wide range of printers.
Drop-ship and Zone-skip Discounts
MailStream Plus™ provides you with many ways to take advantage of drop-ship and zone-skip discounts. The software makes it easy to plan in advance and you can assign minimum quantities to attain before presorting to any specific facility. You can set up automated drop-ship presorts to all BMCs, ASFs, SCFs and ADCs or set up an automated drop ship with certain SCFs excluded. MailStream Plus™ also provides DDU discounts when the SCF and DDU facilities are “co-located.”
If your mail quantities don’t support dropping at certain facilities, MailStream Plus™ will “roll” that mail into another entry point of your choice, or to a default, local entry point. If you mail periodicals, you can force mail to USPS® facilities that normally do not service that mail to take advantage of additional zone-skipping discounts.
Mail.dat® Viewer
Mail.dat® Viewer enables you to make adjustments to your Mail.dat® file with no IT support required. You can make last-minute edits right from your production environment and ensure that the USPS® documents generated will accurately reflect what is mailed. MailStream Plus™ supports and produces the Mail.dat file set for both sharing among different mail processors and mail owners. Mail.dat® is the mailing industry standard database for efficient communications among those providing list processing, mail production and mail processing services.
PostalOne! Support
MailStream Plus™ produces Mail.dat® files that are fully compliant with the USPS® PostalOne! system, an electronic alternative to paper documentation and manual processes for mail acceptance and verification. PostalOne! links your mailing information electronically with USPS® acceptance, verification and payment systems via the submission of Mail.dat® files, eliminating most of the paperwork. It also provides a wealth of online information you can use to manage your business more efficiently.
Flexible Parameters and Options
MailStream Plus™ provides the flexibility to presort and prepare mail as you wish and adapts to your changing business needs. Our technology lets you:
- Accommodate different weight pieces in the same mailing
- Control container size by volume or weight
- Set the number of copies in a firm-package
- Choose drop-ship facilities using up-front entry planning
Variable Minimum and Maximum Settings
MailStream Plus™ puts you in total control of your mailing and allows you to vary settings for each unique grouping of mail–so you can set different minimum and maximum qualification amounts, package sizes, bag/tray sizes and pallet sizes for every single batch. For example, if you are doing a BMC drop-ship presort and you want your pallets for the BMC in Springfield, MA to “max-out” at 1,500 pounds, your pallets for the ASF in Albuquerque, NM to “max-out” at 1,800 pounds and the rest of your pallets to “max-out” at 2,000 pounds, MailStream Plus™ is there to meet your needs.
Saturation Mailing Support
MailStream Plus™ can also presort your mailings to achieve the highest possible postal discounts after walk sequence codes have been appended. MailStream Plus™ supports all forms of saturation mailings, including:
- Walk sequence saturation
- High density qualification
- Enhanced Line-Of-Travel sortation
User and Operational Reports
MailStream Plus™ produces a comprehensive array of user and operational/mail-shop reports, including:
- Mail Content Audit Trail (used to physically prepare and fill containers)
- ZIP Code Detail (qualification level report by ZIP code or 3-digit area)
- Mail Qualification Summary (qualifications by mail code, source codes, etc.)
- Postage Summary (a clear and concise summary of postage amounts).
All of the reports produced by MailStream Plus™ can be output in a variety of formats. Users can view reports by batch, entry point, piece-ID and more.
USPS®-required Reports
MailStream Plus™ produces all of the required USPS® reports that a mailer must submit with mailings, including:
- USPS® Statements of Mail (3600s, 3541s, 3602s, 3605s and 3608s)
- USPS® Qualification Report
- Carrier Route Walk Sequence
- Barcoded container tags
Platform and Operating System Support
MailStream Plus™ supports a wide variety of platforms and operating systems, including:
- IBM Mainframe (MVS/VSE/IMS/ZOS and OS/390)
- Unix
- Windows
- iSeries
- DEC Alpha